Destiny
by BYMS
Summary: Emily still hasn't gotten over the death of her first girlfriend and love and forms a band with some friends to get her mind off of it. But , with luck on her side, maybe she won't have to.
1. 473

**Author's note: This is my first fic so I apologize in advance if it sucks. I own none of these characters, yadda, yadda, yadda.**

Destiny: Chapter 1

473 days it's been. 473 days since my life changed forever. 473 days since I found new priorities. 473 days since I've really been able to say 'I feel happy'. 473 days since I lost the love of my life. For 473 days, I have felt alone.

I wake up to an extremely bright light streaming in through my window. "Uggh" I grunt as a turn over to look at the clock. 2pm it reads. "Fuck, I'm gonna be late" I jump out of bed and instantly feel the throbbing headache that last night's partying gave me. I ignore the pain, hop in the shower and get dressed. When I get downstairs, everyone automatically stares at me, kinda like whenever you show up late for class in elementary school. "You're late" said my manager Ezra Fitz. "Good morning to you too E" I said placing a bagel in the toaster. "You do realize it's almost 3 in the afternoon right?" Said Toby, the lead guitarist of our band. I just roll my eyes as my bagel pops out of the toaster and I take my rightful seat at the table.

"So, what are we talking bout?" I ask biting into my bagel which I now realize is extremely dry. "Well, the tour is starting in a 3 weeks" said Caleb, our bassist "Ya and we might have a really cool opener for our shows babe" said Samara, the drummer.

I just kind of stare at Samara for a few seconds until I can read on her face that she realized she called me 'babe'.

Samara was 2 years older than me and had women & men practically throw themselves at her but yet she still chooses to go after me. I mean sure we've hooked up a couple times and the whole 'female drummer' thing is pretty hot but I have told her on multiple occasions, I'm just not ready yet. Losing someone like how I lost Maya just changes a person. It's hard to let anyone else in after that. I mean sure, I got my revenge on the wack job who did it to her but that doesn't bring her back.

"You know, I'm feeling a little sick, is there anything else you need to tell us E?" I asked, not really wanting to be with anyone right now "Uhh, no, I guess that's it. Meeting adjured" Ezra said.

And with that I was on my way back to my room until I was stopped by the last person I wanted to talk to right now. "Look Em, I'm sorry it just slipped ou..." Samara began "Look its ok, it wasn't intentional, I know, but I just really need to lie down" I interrupt, trying my best to end this conversation to no avail. "Em, I know you're hurting but sooner or later you're going to have to let somebody in. Why not let that person be one of your best friends?" Samara said with a sweet smile.

Samara's a really sweet girl and I really do care about her but I just can't do this. Not now. But I know I'm not getting out of this until I give her at least a little hope that she's getting somewhere with me, even if she isn't.

"Look, I want to, I do. I just need a little more time to just, I don't know. Think this through." I said truthfully.

"Ok I don't mean to sound pushy, but a year and a half seems like a pretty long time to think." Samara said, arching an eyebrow. I just roll my eyes, evade around her, and retreat to my room locking the door. I can hear her jiggling the door knob and calling my name but I just ignore her and turn on my stereo to drown her out. I walk over to my calendar to cross off todays date. "473 days you've been gone" I said, looking at the photo of me and Maya on my night stand. "Wonder what will happen on day 474" I said before I collapsed on my bed, falling into a deep sleep, dreaming of what could have been.


	2. Her

Destiny: Chapter 2

It's cold and windy outside; I'm in some kind of blue gown covered in dirt. My 3 best friends are by my side as we drag ourselves down the side walk, towards my house. All of a sudden all I see are blue and red lights. The voices of my best friends, drowned out by the police sirens. My legs grow a mind of their own as they begin to run towards my house, where ambulances and police cars are parked. I see my mother and all I hear come out of her mouth are the words body and Maya. My brain is having trouble catching up to the situation but that's when I see it. A black body on a gurney being pulled into the back of an ambulance. I quickly put two and two together. Tears cascade down my cheek as I clutch onto Spencer's dress. "NO" I scream, silently praying that what I think is happening isn't actually happening. "EMILY" I hear someone scream but when I look around, I see no face that matches the familiar voice. "Emily, wake up!"

I jolt myself awake, dry heaving and covered in sweat. I look up to see who is cradling me to find Toby caressing me, and cooing me, telling me everything alright. Toby is always the first one to my rescue whenever these recurring nightmares decide to strike.

As soon as the tears subsided and I stopped shaking, Toby slowly pulled away and tucked me into bed. "You want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked sweetly as I stare into his ocean blue eyes. I just nod my head slightly, not really wanting to be alone at the moment. He just smiles and gets under the cover with me, pulling me into his chest. I sigh contently as I just think of what a great guy Toby is. He's like the older brother I've always wanted and now have the privilege to actually have. I relax into his chest and slowly drift off into a deep sleep.

3 weeks later  
Day 494 is now crossed off the calendar. Today is officially the first day of our tour. 1st stop, California.

I don't know why but my favourite thing about touring is probably the tour bus. Something about living on the road, sleeping in little bunkers and being with some of your best friends every day for a few weeks just helps you get your mind off of certain things. Or people. 494 days and I'm still not over it. Drowning my sorrows in Hennessey and tequila can't hold me forever. Maybe Samara's right. Maybe I have spent way too much time dwelling on the past and what could have happened. I need to get on with my life. Maya would want me to. I need to do this for her.

Backstage I was tuning my guitar when I noticed Samara staring at me from the corner of my eye. "take a picture, it'll last longer" I joke as I turn to her to give her an innocent smile. She just giggled and walked over to me "I wasn't sure if you were mad at me or not. You know after yesterday" "Don't worry about that" I interrupt "I thought about what you said and I do need to get over her." "Soooo..." she said with hope filling her eyes "Soo... I'm ready to give us a chance". As soon as the words leave my lips she began to giggle and jump around like a kindergartener. "We're on in 5" Caleb said, going to stand on his lift platform. I hand Samara her sticks, "See you out there" I whisper in her ear after giving a chaste kiss on the cheek "babe" I finish as I turn around to walk over to my platform as she does the same, the wide grins never leaving our faces. In no time, the platforms began to lift and the roaring of the crowd echoes in my ears.

"HELLO CALI!" I here Caleb yell "WE ARE GLOBAL REBELLION" and with that I hear the first guitar chord & our Samara counting us in and I soon join in. 

[Samara:]

1, 2, 3

_[Toby:]_

_Straight off the plane to a new hotel_

_Just touched down, you could never tell_

_[Emily:]_

_A big house party with a crowded kitchen_

_People talk shh but we don't listen_

_[Caleb:]_

_Tell me that I'm wrong but I do what I please_

_Way too many people in the Addison Lee_

_Now I'm at the age when I know what I need, oh, whoa_

_[All:]_

_Midnight memories, oh, oh, oh, oh._

_Baby you and me_

_Stumbling in the street_

_Singing, singing, singing, singing_

_Midnight memories, oh, oh, oh, oh._

_Anywhere we go never say no_

_Just do it, do it, do it, do it_

Looking down into front row, one girl catches my eye. Our eyes lock, and for a minute I completely forgot where I am. It is dark so I can't see all her features but I can still see that she is stunning. Her dark locks cascading over her shoulders and the way she danced to my songs had be memorized. It wasn't until Caleb nudged me, did I realize that both my hands and my lips stopped moving. I quickly snapped out of my dazed state and continued through the rest of the gig.

After the last song was played I looked back into the crowd to see if I could spot my mystery beauty again but she was nowhere to be found. I frown slightly but quickly got back to my platform before it retreated under the stage.

The whole time on the tour bus, all I could think about was who this girl was. She reminded me of someone but I wasn't sure who. I lay awake in my bunker, thinking of the mystery girl, ignoring Samara's requests to sleep with me. I have to know her. She's different. She's special. I can feel it. It took me 494 days, but I think I'm finally ready to move on.


	3. Mind Games

**AN: Thank you to those who reviewed. Really makes me excited to know I'm not the only one who still believes Maya is alive. I don't own the characters yadda, yadda, yadda.**

Destiny: Chapter 3

Emily POV  
We get a few days off before our next show here in Cali, and then we move to our next tour stop in Nevada, so we all decide to go shopping. Samara is determined to help me enjoy myself for the first time in the last year & a half and though her dedication is appreciated, it is also sort of irritating.

Ever since I agreed to give us a chance, she has been nothing but clingy and considering that was less than 24 hours ago, that's saying a lot.

"So, where do you wanna go first, clothes shopping, shoes shopping or accessories?" she asks me with pure excitement in her voice. "I don't really care" I answer "I was always the 'hold bags for my friends and tell them they look good in whatever they put on in an attempt to get out of the store' kind of shopper. And I can tell that you're the kind of girl who spends at least 30 minutes in each store just trying stuff on" I say, knowing Im right. "Shoes it is" she says, dragging me into a store that's strong perfume scent could cause someone to pass out from lack of clean air.

The next 3 hours were spent watching Samara try on clothes and me trying desperately to stay conscience under the heavy scents of all the stores. "Ok, I think I got everything I wanted" Samara said, looking through all the bags I have been lugging around for the last couple hours. "Are there any stores you wanna go to or should we just meet up with the guys and leave?" She asks. I look around the mall and spot a store that sparks my interests. It's a graphic tee shop with graffiti drawn all over the walls. "That one" I say, pointing in the direction of the dimly lit store. She looks at me as if to say 'are you serious'. I just nod, grab the bags and take off towards the store.

The place is called 'Zombie lair', the walls were painted with fake dripping blood and had racks of cool graphic t-shirts that ranged from a shirts with superhero logos on them to Sesame Street character shirts to a comic book style 'ZAP!' shirt. One shirt caught my eye though. It was an 'I walked with a zombie' t-shirt. The exact same one that Nate gave to me from Maya.

I run my fingers over the soft fabric as I recall my first date with Maya. "Emily!?, is that you?" a deep voice pulls me out of my trance and I turn around to see Noel Kahn staring at me with a confused and slightly frightened expression. "Umm, hey Noel, what are you doing here" I ask, confused as to why Noel would be in California. "Uhh... my family owns the store and needed another employee" he answers, seeming nervous about something. "What are you doing here, I thought you were some huge rock star now" he says with that famous Kahn smirk. "Yea, we actually played a show here last night & now we have a couple days off to roam free so me and the girl who looks terrified of that clown mask decided to go shopping" I say, referring to Samara who has fear written all over her face as she looks over the stores mask collection. Noel giggles as he watches her squirt herself in the face with a Spiderman web shooter but soon turns back to me with a serious expression. "Look, Emily, I think you need to leave" he says. Before I could respond, one of Noel's co-workers walks out of what assume is the storage room, carrying a huge box that covers her face. "Noel, would it kill you to help a girl out here" she says in a raspy voice. A very familiar raspy voice. The voice of the only person I've ever loved. I look back at Noel, utterly confused. His eyes are wide, flickering between me and the girl carrying the box.

Before I even have time to react to the situation I hear Noel scream "LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S EMILY AND SAMARA FROM GLOBAL REBELLION!" And within seconds, Samara and I are swarmed by fans. I try to look back at the girl that I believe to be my very much alive soul mate but only look in time to see her hair whip through the doorway, as she is being hauled into the storage room by Noel.

After an hour of signing autographs and taking pictures we finally got out of the mall and retreated to the tour bus. When we got back on the bus I went straight to my bunker and closed the curtain. My brain was pounding with questions. Was it really her? Is that why Noel was acting so nervous? Is that even a possibility? I mean I saw her body bag but I never saw the body. No, it can't be. Maya is dead. But I'm so sure it was her in the store, and now that I think about it, it looked like her at the concert last night. But how. As far as I know, only one person can answer these questions for me.

Noel Kahn. 


	4. It's not Is it?

Destiny: Chapter 4

Samara POV  
We just finished eating breakfast and the entire time Emily was completely zoned out. Every time one of us would try to include her in the conversation she would just cut us off with one-word replies.

As soon as we were all done eating she immediately made her way to her bunk and just laid there. She denies all of our attempts at conversation except for one last night with Toby, but he won't tell any of us what they talked about.

She has always acted sort of withdrawn from the group but never to this extent. The more I think about it, the more I notice this all started after we left the mall. After we were ambushed by fans. After she talked to that hot guy who worked at that creepy t-shirt store. As much as I really do not want to return to that dirty pit of hell, I know that's the only lead I have to finding out why Emily's so upset. And she's worth it.

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I walk into the mall and head straight for the _'Vampire Lair'_. I walk in and see a short girl, in some sort of werewolf mask, restocking some of the empty shelves so I approach her.

"Hi, there was a guy working here yesterday, tall, tan skin, dark hair. Is he working today?" I ask, trying not to sound like some creepy stalker. The girl turns to face me but jolts back slightly when she sees who I am. I'm used to this kind of recognition so I don't really think much of it. "Umm, yea, I'll be right back" she says, going into the storage room to go retrieve the boy for me.

I hear a bunch of bickering whispers before the boy I was looking for emerges from the room. "Hi, I'm Noel" he says awkwardly grinning and offering me a hand. "Samara" I say shaking the boy, I now to be named Noel's hand. "So, what can I help you with, I saw you getting a little friendly with my friend Mr. Giggles here. Did you come back to take him home" he says sarcastically, referring to the creepy clown mask that scared the hell out of me yesterday. "No actually, umm, don't get me wrong, Mr. Giggles is lovely but he's not really my style" I say trying to get off the topic of the creepy clown mask. "Ok, so if you don't want the mask, how bout the web shooter" he asks holding up the mechanical Spiderman arm "No Noel, I didn't come here to buy anything" I say, getting frustrated with the immature boy. "I came to ask about Emily" I say and he begins to fidget with a shirt hanging from a rack nervously "Ok, what about her" he asks, looking down at his shoes. "Well two questions, 1. How do you know her and 2. Why is it that after she talked to you, she started acting…different" I ask crossing my arms over my chest. "Well 1. We went to high school together and 2. I don't know" He answers, mimicking my position. "We had a lovely chat. Maybe she was just upset over the fact that her shopping trip was cut short by those screaming teenagers." he continues, stopping his fidgeting and looking me right in the eyes.

We just stare at each other for a couple of minutes. I try to read whether he's telling the truth or not but it's hard to tell.

Our daggering stares are interrupted by the girl I first talked to when I walked into the store, but now she took off that hideous mask. She quickly pops her head out of the storage room door and I catch a quick glimpse of her face. "Noel, could you stop flirting for 2 minutes and help me with the last couple boxes" she says before she goes back into the room. _'I've seen her before'_ I think to myself as I try and fathom where I have seen her face before. "Look, I gotta get back to work but if you really wanna know what's going on, talk to Emily." He says, turning and walking towards the back room but her turns back. "And you seem like a very rational person. Just remind her that her eyes can play tricks on her and something's are better left a mystery" he says looking into my eyes "NOEL!" the girl in the back yells, causing him to follow her voice before I can reply, leaving me with more questions than I came in with.

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When I get back onto the bus everyone is doing what they normally do. Toby and Caleb are screaming into their headsets as they lose in MW3. Ezra is telling them to shut up while he types away on his laptop, most likely working on his book. And Emily is nowhere to be seen. "Where's Emily" I ask and they all simultaneously point towards her bunker_ 'as if I had to ask'_ I think as I make my way towards the curtain covered bed, built into the wall of the bus.

I slightly draw back the curtain, revealing the sleeping beauty behind it. She looks so peaceful, wrapped in a blanket and clutching a framed photo. A photo that once sat on her nightstand, containing Emily and another girl. A girl that is beginning to look extremely familiar. _'But it can't be'_ I think to myself as I look at the picture in Emily's hands and recall the events of my day. _'But it is. She's alive'_. I close Emily's curtain and make my way to my own bunk. Thinking of how this could have happened and what I should do about it.


	5. Hopelessness

**A/N: Am I the only one jumping for joy right now because of the Paily break-up? No. Ok. Just making sure.**

Destiny: Chapter 5

Emily POV  
I wake up today with a new set goal and new found determination. I spent all of yesterday just in my bed thinking, trying to answer my own questions. Trying to figure out how I'm going to approach this situation. I have my action plan, now it's time to put it into action.

I climb out of bed and make my way to the mini fridge to grab an apple, and then make my way towards the door. Before I even have a chance to get a fingertip on the knob, Samara steps in front of me.

"Where you going" she says in a sing-song tone. "Out" I sing-song back, trying to step around her but she just steps in front of me again. "Where" she asks "Don't worry about it" I answer, trying to open the door but she slams it shut. "Samara, can you just get out of my way!" I yell, starting to get extremely annoyed. "You're going back to that t-shirt shop, aren't you" she questions, crossing her arms of her chest and arching an eyebrow. I'm taken aback by the fact that she was actually right. "Why would it matter" I say, mimicking her current pose. She just stands there silently, contemplating what she should say next and postponing my mission. "If you're not gonna answer can you please get out of my way" I say, feeling my blood start to boil. Still, she remains silent. "Uggh" I grunt, rolling my eyes and trying to move around but again she stops me. "Look Em, can't you just trust me when I say something's should remain a mystery, I mean, everything happens for a reason right!?" she says, just conflicting more confusion into my mind. "Umm, what are you talking about?" I can tell there is something important she's not telling me and its slowly eating away at her. "Yesterday I went to the shop ok!" she finally blurts out. "And?" I ask, still confused as to what significance this has to my current situation. "And, I saw her" she mumbles, barely above a whisper. My eyes widen, allowing more questions to flutter into my brain. When my mouth opens, they seem to all come out at once. "What! Are you sure it was her?, why would you even go there? How do you even know what she looks like, you've never met her?" Samara just looks down at her feet, contemplating which question to answer first. "Uhh, I'm pretty sure it was her. I went because I noticed how after you talked to that Noel guy, you seemed more secluded than you already were and I checked on you last night to make sure you were ok and I saw the picture you were holding. When I saw the girl at the store, I knew she looked familiar but I just assumed she was one of those fans that follow us when we're on tour & we see a lot. But then I saw that picture and it clicked. It was her." she shrugged. I could not believe what I was hearing. If I wasn't sure then, I'm sure now. The love of my life is alive and only a mere 5 minute walks away. I stare at Samara for another minute as she nervously twiddles around with her fingers. I then try and move around her but she again stops me. "Em, just wait a sec..." "Samara please" I plead as I feel my eyes growing in moisture. "If you care about me at all, you'll let me go" I say, looking deep into her baby blue eyes. She just stares at me for a second before moving out of my way. "Thank you" I say giving her a quick hug before taking off, down the street.

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When I get to the store I see Noel flicking around a bobblehead. The store has nobody but him in it which is not surprising considering it's 11 in the morning and most people are in the food court. I march straight up to him, determination written all over my face. "Where is she" I say, the words coming out as more of a demand than a question. "Good morning to you too Fields" he says, never taking his eyes off the jiggling Obama head. "That's not answering my question, Kahn." I say, anticipation growing by the second. "Then maybe you should ask a less vague question Fields" he says, flicking the head one more time before he finally turns to face me. "Maya". I finally say. "I know she's alive and I know she's here" I say, causing him to arch an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you know that?" he asks, questioning my knowledge. "So you're not denying it?" I question, arching an eyebrow. "Just because I deny it, doesn't mean you have to believe me. I just think it's a funny theory" he said with a grin on his face. I roll my eyes. "I saw her 2 days ago and Samara saw her yesterday so I know she's here. Can you not be a dick for the first time in your life and just let me talk to her?!" I say, trying not to raise my voice, but my patients wearing thin with the boy. "Ouch" he says touching his heart "Now that one really hurt Fields. And just when I thought we were becoming pretty good friends". "You're an ass" I say walking around the front counter and into the storage door. "HEY! You can't go in there! That rooms for employee use only!" Noel yells while trying to stop me but it's too late, I'm already in the door by the time he gets to me.

This room is a lot larger than it looks from the outside. It is filled with ceiling high metal racks that have boxes of inventory stacked on top of them. It is basically like a giant warehouse maze. I feel a tight grip on my arm and look to my left to see Noel holding on to me " you need to leave" he says sternly, tightening his grip with every word "No, let her stay, she won't find what she's looking for" says a deep voice that emerges from in-between the racks. Eric Kahn, Noel's older brother. Noel just smirks and releases me from his captivity. The second I'm free, I take off down the first isle I see, not wanting to give him a chance to change his mind. I know they seemed pretty confident in knowing I wouldn't find her but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I didn't even try.

For what feels like the next 5 hours but in reality is only 30 minutes, I hopelessly walk from isle to isle, in search for the one person I've spent the last year and a half trying to get over. I finally give up, exit the storage room and take my walk of shame out of the store. I could have sworn for a split second, I saw what I think was sympathy on the Kahn brothers faces. I just ignored it and embarked on my journey back to the tour bus to wallow in my own defeat.

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Noel POV

Emily just left the store and I can't help but feel a little bad for the girl. I can't imagine how it feels to see your supposedly dead girlfriend up and running again and not being able to talk to her. But I guess I'll know the feeling once the zombie apocalypse starts. I turn to Eric with a fake pouty face on my face as we watch Emily sadly exit the mall. He just laughs and slaps me on the back of my head "Come on, let's go get her out before she suffocates down there" he says, walking towards the storage room. I can't help but take one last glance at Emily's retreating figure before following my brother into the back room.

We make our way over to row 7 and walk down it until we come across the large cardboard box we were looking for. We push it over, revealing a secret handle that Eric pulls on, opening a door. The second it opens, a hissing sound comes from the small secret room. "The light! It burns!" Maya says as me and Eric pull her out of the hole in the ground. "I still don't get why I have to hide from her. What harm could talking to the girl really do? It's killing me knowing how much pain I'm causing her" Maya asks as we make our way back to the front of the store. "I don't know cuz, just following the cops orders" Eric shrugs, "I'm feelin for a smoothie, you guys want anything?" Eric asks making his way towards the stores exit. "Are you feeling the smoothie or are you feeling the cute cashier selling the smoothies?" I ask, knowing Eric isn't really the puréed fruit type. "Either way, I'm getting something wet and sweet in my mouth tonight" Eric winks, running out of the store in the direction of the food court. "Your brother needs help" Maya jokes, leaning against the front counter. "Hey, he's your cousin, you deal with him" I say, playfully nudging my small cousin.

We are quiet for a moment before she speaks up. "I need to see her. I need to talk to her" she says, turning her head to look in my direction. "I know. She needs to see you too" I answer. "She told me she has another show tomorrow before she leaves. I could call Toby. Get us backstage" I say causing a huge grin to form on her face. She runs into my chest, hugging me extremely tightly. "Thank you" she says, still in the embrace. "Don't mention it" I say, trying to breath under the small girl's tight grip.

Tomorrow is gonna be interesting.


	6. Initiation

Destiny: Chapter 6

Toby POV

This morning, I got a call from a very unexpected person, saying a group of words together that I never knew were even allowed to be in the same sentence anymore. I'm not even sure how he even has my number but I'm still glad he called. It was the voice of the one and only Noel Kahn that dragged me out of my slumber this morning. He told me about Maya being alive, how she was forced to move out of Rosewood because her life was in danger, and how she needed to speak to Emily urgently. Together we devised a plan to get the two together and alone before our show tonight, surprising Emily. Although I'm not sure locking Emily in a room unexpectedly with her zombie girlfriend is the best idea, it's the only one we got, so we might as well give it a shot.

After the phone call ends, I recruit Caleb to help me on this mission, informing him on all the things Noel and I had just discussed. We both agree it's best if we leave Samara out of this secret though. We both know she has a thing for Emily and will most likely end up being more of an obstacle than a helping hand.

For the next few hours, Caleb and I try to act as normal as possible but I don't think we're very convincing. We both try and refrain from making any eye contact with Emily from fear of cracking under her curiously confused stares and try to refrain from eye contact with Samara from fear of being interrogated if she thinks something's up. And Ezra just looks at us every now and then, rolling his eyes and returning his focus back onto the laptop screen, most likely thinking we are weird, idiotic teenagers.

"Ok, what's up with you two today, did you guys like put whoopee cushions under our mattresses or something?" Samara asks as we just continue to stare at the TV screen. "No" I answer simply, using the remote to surf through the channels. Emily comes in the room, standing beside Samara and just stares at us. "Move your butt, you're blocking my view" Caleb says, trying to push the girls out of the way but failing miserably. "We're not moving until you tell us what you're hiding" Samara says, crossing her arms over her chest. Me and Caleb exchange glances before sighing in defeat. "Ok, what's going is..." before I could finish my sentence, we were blessed with a true miracle from above. "We're here, 2 hours till show time, just enough time for sound check & wardrobe, grab your stuff come on" Ezra says, making his way out of the bus but waiting at the end of the stairs to make sure we follow. Caleb and I grab our guitars and stampede towards the bus exit, thankful that we arrived at the venue at the perfect time. "Come on girls" Ezra says to the annoyed looking girls now exiting the bus as me and Caleb are already entering to doors of the stadium.

When we get inside, we see Noel, leaning against the wall, talking to some girl. "Noel!" I yell, earning his attention. He holds up a finger as if to say 'one minute' and continues talking to the girl. She hands him a piece of paper which I assume has her number, he puts it into his back pocket and walks towards us. "Toby Cavanaugh and Caleb Rivers. Haven't seen you guys since grad, how ya been?" Noel asks, "Good, just touring and stuff" I answer, not really knowing what to say. I never really liked Noel. "Ok, can we save the friendly chit-chat for later, the second Emily gets in here, we're gonna get drenched in questions" Caleb says, being the only rational one at the moment. "Yea true. So where is she?" I ask, turning my attention back to Noel. "In Emily's dressing room pacing" Noel answers. "Now, how exactly did you get into the dressing or even know that that specific room was for Emily?" Caleb asks, looking thoroughly impressed with Noel fast working. "Girl I was talking to, her dad is the event organizer for this place. I shot her a smile and she was happy to oblige to my requests" Noel smirks in a cocky sort of way. Right after he said that, we hear the girls and Ezra just outside the doors. "While I've done my part, you two can deal with the rest" Noel says as he begins to walk away before Emily has a chance to see. We just turn to him and nod in response.

"Ok, straight after sound check, you distract Samara and I'll get Emily to the dressing room" I say to Caleb. "Or you can distract Samara and I can get Emily into the dressing room" he response. "Not happening, it's my plan" I say "But that not fair, your parts easier" he says, putting a fake pout on his lips and crossing his arms. "Stop acting like a baby, we're doing this for Emily, remember" I say. "Uggh fine" he grunts as the girls and Ezra enter the building. We finish getting all the things we need from the bus and setting it all up on the stage.

After sound check, I give Caleb a nod, notifying him to start the plan. He walks up behind Samara, grabs her sticks out of her hands, jumps off the stage and takes off down the columns of the seats. "CALEB YOU DICK" Samara yells as she takes off after him. I laugh a little at his tactics of distraction before I remember my task at hand. "Hey Em, I left something in my dressing room and I have a feeling that if I go and get it, I'm gonna get lost on my way back. Can you come with me?" I say, quickly trying to think of an excuse as to why she should come with me. "Ya sure, with Beavis and Butthead chasing each other around, I have nothing better to do anyway" she says, putting down her freshly tuned guitar and following me off the stage.

We finally get to the 4 dressing rooms and I stop in front of the first door on my right. I reach out to turn the knob but Emily stops me. "Uhh, Tobes, you do realize this is MY dressing room right" she asks, arching an eyebrow. My eyes widen slightly in fear "How do you know that? Have you been in here?" I ask, somewhat scared of the answer "No" she answers. I sigh in relief "then how to you know it's yours?" I question. "Because of the big star on the door that says 'Emily' on it" she says, pointing to the star that I had just noticed was there. "Oh, well, I guess I used yours earlier by accident, oh well" I blurt out, quickly opening the door "Ladies first" I say, motioning my hand for her to enter the room. She stares at me for a moment but then obliges to my request. The second she's inside the room I slam the door shut, pull the key out of my back pocket and lock it. "I'll be back in 60 minutes, please don't hate me!" I yell loud enough for her to hear through the door, and then I make my way back to the stage. _'This better work_ _out'_ I think to myself as I try not to get lost on my way back to the stage.

Emily POV

"TOBY WHAT THE FUCK!" I yell through the door but I can tell he's already gone. I blow out air from my mouth as I contemplate what I'm going to do in a boring dressing room for the next hour. I spin around to get a feel of my surroundings and automatically get weak in the knees at the sight that has just stepped out before me. The love of my life, my soul mate, the only person I have ever been in love with is standing right before me and my body won't let me do anything about it. She walks closer to me, so close I can feel her breath hitting my lips. "Hello Emily" she says in that sexy raspy voice that I love so much. "Maya" is all I could get out before everything around me went blurry.


	7. The Truth

Destiny: Chapter 7

Maya POV

"Hello Emily" I say. "Maya" she responds, the tears quickly filling her as she collapses on her knees sobbing into her hands. I instantly follow in suit, pulling her into my chest "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD" she says in between sobs, clinging onto my now tear covered shirt for dear life, like if she lets go I'll go away again. "I know baby and I'm so sorry I had to do that to you" I respond pulling her deeper into my chest, if that was even physically possible. We stay like this for about 10 minutes before her tears subside and she pulls away to look into my eyes. I already miss the contact with the other girl but I knew we had to talk about this.

"Ok, so I guess I have some explaining to do" I say, crossing my legs as Emily does the same. She just nods in response.

_*Flashback*_  
_I just bought my ticket for the next bus to San Francisco and now I'm waiting at the bus station. My new phone beeps, notifying I got a text, which is odd considering I haven't given my new number to anyone yet. I dig around in my purse in search for the device, pull it out and open the new message._

'You really think you're gonna get away that easily, without even a scratch. You brought this upon yourself Maya. You're so held up on this girl, what does she have that I don't that makes her so great. If you ain't gonna tell me & you're just gonna run away like the pussy that you are I guess, I'll just find out for myself. If I can't have you than you can't have her. She's mine now.  


_L.J'_

"Crap" I accidentally say out loud, earning stares from everyone in the bus station. It's bad enough I left Emily without much of an explanation, but leaving her knowing that I just put an obsessive psycho bitch on her trail made me feel sick. I quickly gather my belongings and exit the bus station, prepared to take the walk back to Noel's cabin. As I'm leaving the terminal, a police car pulls up beside me and an officer steps out, walking towards me causing my heart to beat out of my chest. "Maya, right. Maya " he asks. "Umm yea" I say, somewhat worried he's going to take me back to my parents. "Officer Garrett Reynolds. I'm a friend of Emily's" he says, offering me a hand which I shake. "You do realize that there is a missing person's case with your name on it right" he asks. I just look down at my shoes, not really sure what to do. If I run, he has a car so I probably won't get very far. "Where are you staying" he asks, looking at me with pure sincerity. "A cabin, about 6 miles east of here" I say, still looking at my shoes. "Hmm, get in" he says walking back around the car to the driver's seat as my head shoots up in confusion. "You're really gonna take me there" I ask in disbelief. "Yea, Emily, my boss and your parents would probably kill me if they ever find out but I can tell you still have some issues you need to resolve on your own before you go back and if I took you back now, what's gonna stop you from running away again. I may work for an idiot, but I'm not stupid. Now come on" he says, patting the passenger's seat. I hop in the car, believing him for some reason and give him the directions to Noel's cabin.

When we get there, he turns off the engine and we sit in silence for a few minutes. "Thank you" I finally say, actually very thankful that he didn't turn me. "You know, I could lose my job for this" he says, looking back at me. I just sadly nod, knowing how much he just risked for me. "Now get out of my car before this moment turns any sappier than it has to be" he laughs. I turn to him one last time giving him a small smile before exiting the car and walking towards the cabin.

Before I could reach the cabin, two masked people grabbed me. One I could tell was Lyndon but the other, I wasn't sure. I know they are a girl, but not one I would be very familiar with.

Thankfully, like any adult would do when dropping off a kid, especially when this place was in the middle of the woods, Garrett was waiting in the car, ensuring I got in the cabin safely. The second he saw the 2 masked figures emerge from the bushes, he was by my side, pointing his gun at the people in all black. As soon as they saw the gun, they both ran back into the forest while Garrett shot the trees, trying to hit one of them with no success. "Get back in the car" he ordered which I quickly oblige to, running back to the safety of the squad car. He turns his sirens on and speeds down the road, towards the police station. I am slightly worried about this but don't question his reasoning.

Upon arrival, we both exit the car and enter the building. He puts me in a room that looks a lot like one of those interrogation rooms you see in the movies with the giant mirror on the wall that is a window on the other side. I hear light bickering from outside the door which I assume is Garrett filling in the rest of the officers on what had happened during the last 3 hours. A few minutes later, Detective Wilden comes into the room. "Maya " he says slowly, enunciating every syllable and flipping through some papers on a clipboard. "We've been looking for you" he says walking in circles around the table I was sitting at. "Well you weren't doing that great of a job" I say, trying not to let my annoyance of his 'bad cop' facade show on my face. "Ooo, someone has a mouth on them. So enough fun, let's get down to business. Do you know who it was who tried to attack you at the cabin?" he asks, taking the seat across from me. "One of them was this guy named Lyndon James. He's been harassing me ever since I got back to Rosewood from True North" I answer. "Lyndon James, ok, and the other person?" he asks, scribble some stuff onto his clipboard. "Nope, I have no idea. All I know is that it was a girl." I answer truthfully. "Ok, we'll figure that out later, but for now, your life is in danger. You can't stay in that cabin anymore and you for sure cannot stay with your parents." he says, causing me to become extremely confused as to where he expects me to go, so I just wait for him to go on. "We're adding you to our witness protection program", he says, handing me some papers, a new health card, a new social insurance card and a bunch of other legal documents. "We're told you have family in California, so we're deporting you as soon as possible. Your new name Maya Nina Brown and here are all the things you'll need to start your temporarily new life". I blink a couple times, trying to process everything he had just said.

Wilden further explains the life altering experience that I'm about to go through and asks a few more questions about Lyndon. Within the next hour, I'm on a one way flight back to California.

*End of Flashback*

"So when I landed, my aunt was at the airport waiting for me and I've been out here ever since. I thought after Lyndon died, the cops would let me come back but since they never identified the girl, they said it was still dangerous. Emily, please, trust me when I say I never wanted to put you through any of this" I finish, fighting off the tears that are threating to spill at the thought of Emily having to deal with my death. After an extremely long moment of silence and us staring into each other's eyes, she finally decides to speak up "499 days" she says, confusing me. She starts to laugh and my confusion grows. "499 days?" I question. "For 499 days you've been hiding out in California while I have been sobbing my life away" she says, laughing a little more "I know and I feel horrible that I couldn…" "Wait, let me finish" she interrupts "I found out a while ago that the best way to express my feelings is to put them in a song. I noticed that every time I thought about you while writing, my songs sounded really depressing and I'd end up crying every time I'd try to write. So, I chose one song and one song only. I wrote it after you ran away and before you 'died' so it wasn't too sad sounding. I've only performed it once but ended up crying and running off stage so I never tried it again. All the feeling that I've ever poured into every song I've wrote came from you, and now, half of them are based on lies". I was about to respond, when there was a knock on the door before it swung open. "Show time" Toby says, before walking back towards the stage. Emily just took one last look at me before standing up and following Toby. I huff before making my way into the crowd to find Noel.

I never thought it was possible but Emily actually looks even hotter than she already is when she's holding a guitar. She looks into the crowd and our eyes connect for what feels like a year. She breaks the contact, going over to her bandmates, one by one, to whisper something in there ears. They all nod in response and she returns to her mic. "Ok, so we are gonna start out with a never before heard song for you guys. Is that alright!" Caleb says into the mic as the crowd roars in response. Emily switches in her electric for an acoustic guitar and grabs a stool from the side of the stage. The instruments start and Emily's beautiful voice soon follows in suit.

_I drove by all the places_

_We used to hang out and get wasted_

_I thought about our last kiss_

_How it felt, the way you tasted_

_Sometimes I start to wonder_

_Was it just a lie?_

_If what we had was real_

_How could you be fine?_

_'Cause I'm not fine at all_

_I remember the day you told me you were leaving_

_I remember the makeup running down your face_

_And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them_

_Like every single wish we ever made_

_I wish that I could wake up with amnesia_

_Forget about the stupid little things_

_Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you_

_And the memories I never can escape_

_'Cause I'm not fine at all_

_The pictures that you sent me_

_They're still living in my phone_

_I admit I like to see them I admit I feel alone_

_And all my friends keep asking why I'm not around_

_It hurts to know you're happy_

_And it hurts that you've moved on_

_It's hard to hear your name_

_When I haven't seen you in so long_

_It's like we never happened, was it just a lie?_

_If what we had was real how could you be fine?_

_'Cause I'm not fine at all_

_I remember the day you told me you were leaving_

_I remember the makeup running down your face_

_And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them_

_Like every single wish we ever made_

_I wish that I could wake up with amnesia_

_Forget about the stupid little things_

_Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you_

_And the memories I never can escape_

_If today I woke up with you right beside me_

_Like all of this was just some twisted dream_

_I'd hold you closer than I ever did before_

_And you'd never slip away_

_And you'd never hear me say_

_I remember the day you told me you were leaving_

_I remember the makeup running down your face_

_And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them_

_Like every single wish we ever made_

_I wish that I could wake up with amnesia_

_Forget about the stupid little things_

_Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you_

_And the memories I never can escape_

_I'm not fine at all_

Emily finishes, never breaking eye contact with me the entire song as if we were the only 2 people in the room. Tears streamed down both our faces as we just stared at each other, not caring about anyone else at the moment. Now that I truly see what kind of effect my absence has had on her I'm never letting her go ever again. Ever.

**AN: If anyone cares, the song was Amnesia by 5 seconds of summer. Thanks for the reviews and see yaa tomorrow.**


	8. Minute in the Sunlight

Destiny: Chapter 8

Emily POV

I find it so weird how when Maya first left, I knew exactly how I would react if I ever saw her again. I imagined and re-imagined scenarios in my head about how the moment would play out, all ending in one particular way if you know what I mean. And yet when the moment finally arose, my mind went blank. For some reason I was more angry at the fact that this was all a lie when I should have just been happy that she is alive. The love of my life is alive. It's really nice to say knowing it's true. She's alive and standing right in front of me and I don't know what to do about it.

After the show, we all came back to Maya's aunt's house. They all agreed that me and Maya needed some alone time so they went clubbing. I could see the pain and strife on Samara's face as she walked out the door with the boys and couldn't help but feel terribly guilty about her being unhappy. I know that she loves me and I'm pretty much flaunting my relationship with another girl in her face. But I can't worry about her right now. I need to figure out where Maya and I stand at the moment. I just don't know where to start, but luckily I don't have to.

"That was a beautiful song" Maya says, putting an end to the agonizing silence. "Even if you don't believe me, I just want you to know that I wasn't fine at all after I left you." she says looking down at her hands that were linked together on her lap. "I thought about you every single day. I would walk around the streets hoping that one day you would just magically pop up and everything would go back to the way it was, before I messed everything up" "You didn't mess anything up, this wasn't your fault" I say, finally finding my voice. "Yes it was. If I hadn't dated Lyndon, he wouldn't have gone after me or you and I wouldn't have been sent away and if I wasn't such an idiot, I wouldn't have started smoking again and wouldn't have ran away" she says, tearing up at the realization that she couldn't have prevented this. "Maya, look at me" I say, sitting across from her on the bed and lifting her chin up to meet my gaze. "None of this is your fault" I say sternly. "You couldn't have known Lyndon was a psycho and you've kicked the smoking now right? And we're together now right? So let's not dwell on the past. Let's just focus on the present and future, one that I plan on spending with you, ok?" I say, wiping the single tear that slipped from her eye. She nods in response with a small smile appearing on her face, causing me to smile as well.

We stare longingly into each other's eyes for a moment until I see her gaze move lower and then back up to my eyes. We slowly move closer until our lips meet, softly colliding, sending shocks down my spine. She always had this effect on me. We slowly pull away and look into each other's eyes. I can tell we both want more, considering we've been missing the others touch for over a year so I take the intuitive. I grab the back of her neck, reconnecting our lips but this time, the kiss is deeper, she swipes her tongue on my bottom lip, asking for access which I quickly grant. She slowly starts sliding her body lower on the bed until she is lying flat on her back and I'm on top of her.

I want this so bad right now, I need this, I deserve this. I'm about to take the next step when we hear someone clear there throat from the door way. I look up and almost drop off the bed when I see a middle aged women standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips giving me the death stare. I quickly sit up, blushing and keeping my gaze anywhere but the women in the doorway. "Hi Grace. What are doing home so early" Maya says, as if we were not just caught making out in her bed. "I'm the boss; I can leave whenever I want. Who's your friend?" the women I now know to be Grace asks never shifting her eyes from me, making me extremely nervous. "Emily this is my auntie Grace and Grace this is Emily" Maya responds. Grace's eyes widen at the mention of my name. I get up to go and shake the women's hand and formally introduce myself but am instead pulled into an unexpected hug "Emily as in THE Emily" Grace says, crushing my ribs with her extremely tight hug. She finally releases me from her death grip and stares at me with a huge smile on her face. "It is so nice to finally meet you, I have heard so much about you and may I just say you're a lot prettier in person" "Hey Grace, no flirting with my girlfriend" Maya says from her spot on the bed. I look at my feet blushing, partially at the compliment but mainly at Maya calling me her girlfriend. Grace just ignores Maya's comment, keeping her focus on me. "Aww you're a shy one, aren't you." Grace says pinching my cheeks causing Maya to burst out into laughter, knowing how embarrassed I am at the moment. "I like you; will you be spending the night?" Grace questions. I turn back at Maya to see her vigorously nodding her head "Uh, if it's ok with you, ya sure" I respond. "Ok, you can sleep in here but don't even thinking about doing anything funny with my niece. I've got ears like a hawk and if I even hear the bed squeak both of your asses will be out my house before you can even say no you hear me" the older woman says before turning to leave the room.

I just stand there looking at the doorway, sort of dazed from the events of the last 10 minutes. I guess Maya noticed my slightly frightened state because I feel small but firm arms wrap around my waist and a head on my shoulder. "Let's go to bed" she says, grabbing my hand and walking me over to the bed. Almost like instinct, my head automatically lands on her chest and her arms wrap protectively around me. A smile forms on my lips as I snuggle into the girl I love, drifting off into a peaceful sleep. 

ExM

Maya POV

I wake up to an empty bed which kinda makes me sad but that feeling soon goes away when the smell of bacon and pancakes begin to fill my room. I quietly make my way done the stairs, following the intoxicating scent. I stand at the bottom of the staircase, just taking in the picture in front of me. My aunt, uncle and Emily laughing and having a light conversation while making breakfast. After a minute or two my uncle finally turns around, acknowledging my presence in the room. "Look he finally decided to drag themselves out of bed. A little earlier than usual too" he says as I take a seat at the island bar. "I only got up because I actually had something to look forward to" I say, looking at Emily who looks up from frying the bacon and gives me a soft smile. "Aww, you really missed your girl that much eh" my aunt says smiling widely "My girl?" I say furrowing my eyebrows "Oh, no, I was talking about the bacon" I say trying to grab a strip from the batch Emily had just placed on a plate, only to have my hand smacked away by my aunt. "Emily, may I just say, you have horrible taste in women" my uncle says as he grabs his plate and makes his way to the living room to watch TV. "I was joking" I say "Mhmm" my aunt says, following her husband into the next room. I just huff and turn my attention back to Emily who was making us both a plate of food. She's gorgeous, a rockstar and can cook, I hit the jackpot. I go up behind her and snake my arms around her waist causing her to jump a little but soon after, relax into my touch. "You know I was just kidding right" I say in my best baby voice and with a pout on my lips. She turns around in my arms, shoving a piece of bacon in my mouth "You better be" she says seriously but I can tell she just joking. Emily's pretty hot when she's all mad and serious. She slithers out of my arms and walks around the island to sit down as I sit across from her. "So what did you, Grace and James talk about" I ask. "Stuff" she shrugs. "Just stuff, that's all I get, no details?" I question, raising an eyebrow. "We talked about me. And you. And us. And other things." she answers vaguely, stuffing a forkful of eggs in her mouth. I just sigh, knowing I won't get any information out of her and finish my breakfast, changing the subject. "Maya! There are some people at the door for you!" Grace yells from the door. Emily and I make our way to the front foyer to find Caleb, Samara and Toby standing there. "Hey guys, what's up" Emily says. "Hey, we were just coming to pick you up" Samara says, a little too happily. I don't really like the way she's eyeing Emily right now. "Pick me up for what?" Emily asks confused as to why they think she would want to leave when we just met up again. "Umm, Nevada. We have to be on the road in 2 hours to make it in time" Caleb says as if it's obvious.

But, Emily just got here, she can't leave already. We still have so much we have to talk about. I just got her back and I'm so not ready to let her go. You only make certain mistakes once.

**A/N: So March break is almost over so I'm probably not gonna get a chance to update every day. I'll probably get at least 2 chapters in a week. Thanks for the reviews. **


	9. I'll be back

**A/N: Herro! So I've been waking up at 5am every morning because I have back to back rugby and robotics tournaments for the whole week so sorry for the late update but I hope I haven't lost all my readers in my absence. **

Destiny: Chapter 9

Emily POV

Oh gosh. I've been living in Neverland for the past two days but now, the dreams over and reality has just slapped me in the face. What I need right now is for the world to freeze right now. Let me think this through. But then again, there isn't really a decision to be made. Regardless of what I want right now, I have to be on that tour bus in less than 2 hours. But I can't leave her. Not now. Not after waiting 499 days to be reunited. There are still so many unresolved issues. I feel like my head is about to explode. I wish I could just rewind back to this morning when I was watching her peacefully sleep before her aunt asked me to help with breakfast. I'm arguing the inevitable. On the bright side at least I found her and I know she's alive. I guess I've been quiet for too long because when I look up all the faces in front of me are full of concern and worry.

"Can you guys give me a minute" I finally say, my sadness extremely audible in my voice. They all nod in understanding as I drag Maya up to her room, closing the door behind me. "So I uhh, guess I have to go" I say, stating the obvious. Maya doesn't respond, just sits on her bed, staring at her hands in her lap. "But I'll be back" I say reassuringly, trying to lighten the mood a little. She looks up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You just got here" she says simply. With those four words, I could feel my heart break a little at her pain. I rush over to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in my own. "I WILL be back. I won't forget about you. It's just a couple of weeks, I'll be back in no time." I say, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

I know it's going to kill both of us to watch me leave. If there was any way we could still be together while I toured, I would take the opportunity in a heartbeat. And just then, an amazing idea pops into my head causing my frown to morph into a smile. "Or, you could always just come with me" I say. At that statement, her head shoots up to meet my eyes. "Like, come with you on tour?" she says, surprised at my offer "Ya, why not. Living dangerously on the road, getting to travel all over America, living off of cheeseburgers and waffles. It's a pretty appealing lifestyle. You could be like our little adorable mascot and we it would give us more time to figure 'us' out. So, what do ya say? Will you come on tour with us?" I request, hope filling my eyes.

'BOOM!' we turn our attention to where the large sound had come from to see Grace and James lying on the floor attempting to nonchalantly get up.

"I know what you're thinking and no we did not have our ears pressed against the door, eavesdropping on your conversation." Grace explains very unconvincingly

"But we just wanted to let you know that it is summer vacation so if you wanted to, oh I don't know, go on tour with a world famous rock band, I'm sure Noel and Eric can run the store on their own. But, it's not like I know you wanna do that. Just saying" James says, causing me to giggle slightly and mouth a silent thank you to the couple. They wink and begin exiting the door, "Oh, and remind me to fix this doorknob, you don't even have to turn it for the door to open" James says, exiting the room. After they leave, I turn my attention back to Maya. "So, will you come with me, I'm pretty sure you have your folk's permission" I ask hopefully.

I watch her eyes shift back and forth as she ponders my request. I am almost positive she is going to say yes until something happens. Her eyes stop there shifting and her face turns to stone. "I'm sorry Emily, I just can't" Those words make my smile fall immediately.

"Emily, Ezra's here, we gotta go!" I hear Caleb yell from downstairs as well as a bus honking outside. Maya grabs my face pulling me into a soft yet passionate kiss, I felt at complete ecstasy until the irritating honking pulled me out of my trance.

Maya POV

Feeling. Horrible, horrible feeling. The shattering of my heart burns as Emily's smile falls. I am a horrible person. It was my choice to rejoin her life in the first place and now I'm ripping myself out again, even if it is only temporarily, it still stings just as bad. The hurt and confusion in her eyes will be the death of me if it continues any longer.

"Why?" she questions simply, her voice so quiet, so innocent.

"I made a promise to someone, a promise that I need to keep. Please don't hate me." I plead, fighting off the tears that are threatening to fall.

"I don't hate you, I'm just really gonna miss you"

"I'm gonna miss you too. But hey, you said you'll be back soon right!?" I say, quoting what she said earlier.

"I guess" she replies softly

I lift her chin up so our eyes meet, staring deeply for a moment. I lean forward and gently connect our lips, hoping the kiss will say everything I can't find the words to. She pulls away slightly, looking into my eyes with a small sad grin on her lips. The honking of the bus horn outside my house prompts her to slowly get up and make her to my bedroom door.

"I'll be back for you" she says, turning back to face me with sad eyes before disappearing out the door to join her bandmates on the bus. I huff and lazily fall back onto my bed "And I'll be waiting" I quietly answer to myself.


	10. Thoughts Kill

**A/N: Herro peoples. Another week, another chapter. **

Emily POV

Why. What could possibly be more important than our relationship at this point? I rack my brain trying to think of at least one possibility as to why she wouldn't come with me and I have absolutely no explanation. She said she loved me. She said she wanted to be with me. I feel a hunger so deep for the answer, the ocean would be jealous. I have spent months in agony, I deserve better than this. I refuse to let this get me down. I'm going back for her soon enough. Maybe this is good for us. Maybe we both need this time apart to figure out how we feel about this. I just have to make it through the last couple tour dates and I refuse to spend my time on the road moping around anymore. Maya is alive and wants me back. That itself should be a good enough reason for me to be happy. Right?

I finally muster up enough strength to pull myself out of bed and put an end to the gurgling sounds coming from the empty pit that is my stomach. I walk over to the freezer pulling out a microwaveable meal, feeling too lazy to actually cook anything, and pop it in the microwave. I spin around, waiting for my meal to warm up only to come face to face at a very uncomfortably close proximity with the last person I want to talk to right now and get scared shitless.

"HOLY SHIT!" I half yell, putting my hand over my heart to make sure it was indeed still beating.

"Are you ok?" She asks with concerned eyes, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Well besides the fact that I almost just had a heart attack I'm just peachy" I say, turning back around to retrieve my meal from the beeping microwave and make my way to the dining table.

"No, I mean with the whole Maya not coming with you thing?" Samara says, taking the seat across from me.

"Yaa, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be. And no offence Sammy but if I actually did have a problem, do you really think I would talk to you about it?" I rhetorically question, moving my attention back to the source of the steam hitting my face.

"No, I know you wouldn't. Even though after all this time you still chose her over me, I still care about you Em. I just don't want to see you get hurt"

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm not going to get hurt"

"But don't you think it's a little weird. I mean, this is every teenagers dream, no 18 year old in their right mind would turn this offer down... kinda makes me wonder what Maya is hiding in Cali, whether it's something or... someone."

I stop spinning my fork and turn my attention back to Samara at the accusation. "What is that supposed to mean?" I question defensively.

"Oh, I don't know, nothing really. But you can't lie to me and say the thought never crossed your mind, I mean what could be better than going on tour with a rock band."

I sit there silently trying to block out every word that leaves the blonde girls mouth with no success. Every syllable she enunciates pounds against my brain like a 500 ton brick. It is killing me inside to know that a part of what Sam is saying is true. Everyone, especially someone like Maya, would want to tour with a rock band and the thought had crossed my mind but I knew in my heart it couldn't be. She wouldn't, I know she wouldn't replace me so quickly. I fight hard to prevent the tears from spilling down my cheeks but I know I won't be able to hold it much longer. Samara's words are piercing my heart like bullets and I need to get away. I can feel the anger building up deep inside of me like a balloon slowly filling up with air and if Samara doesn't shut up soon, I'm gonna pop.

I feel the bus come to an immediate halt and Ezra emerges from the pilot's door "Alright, we're parked for the next couple of hours. You guys can free roam if you'd like but be back by 11 or we're leaving you." Samara and I both turn our attention to Ezra as he speaks. Midway through his sentence I was out the door so by the time Samara turns back to me, I would already be gone. If I couldn't swim to clear my head, running always seemed to help. I didn't know where I was or where I was going, I just needed to get away.

_ExM_

Caleb POV

Me and Toby feel the bus stop, knowing we would now be able to walk on a floor that's not moving, we turned off the PS4 and made our way towards the front door. Just as I draw back the curtain separating the TV room from the kitchen where the exit door is, I see Emily fly out the door and take off down the road. "Whoa, I'm guessing Em really needed some fresh air" I say as I watch her retreating figure from the window. At my words, Samara quickly rotates her body towards an empty frozen food tray with frantic eyes and sighs. "Where'd she go" Samara asks. Toby, Ezra and I just point to the open door, flapping destructively against the bus due to the wind. She groans and begins making her way to the door but Toby stops her. "Relax, she's fine, she probably just needs to clear her head" Toby says, releasing her shoulders. "But we were having an important conversation and I kinda wanna finish it" she says trying again to exit the door with no success. " Sam take a hint, if she made her way out the door that quickly, I don't think she really wanted to finish that conversation" I say grabbing Toby's shoulder and guiding him out the door. "We'll follow her to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid but you need to stay here" I say sternly, feeling as if I am scolding a child. She just nods sadly and makes her way deeper into the bus, closing the door behind her. Toby and I, look at each other, shrug our shoulders and begin making our way towards the almost non visible blob that is Emily. This is gonna be a long night.

Emily POV

My heart is beating at an inhumanely possible speed, my throat has lost 100% of its moisture, my calf muscles are throbbing for me to stop but I just keep running. I don't know where I am or how long I've been running for but it has defiantly gotten a lot darker than it was when I left the bus. A while ago, I heard Toby and Caleb calling my name but I have found a way to block out all noises surrounding me. It is just me and my thoughts going to battle over what I think vs. what I know. Head vs heart. And now I'm beginning to think that this war is even harder to win than the one between me and Samara. How can I beat myself? I think I think I think too much. My brain is overloaded with millions of imaginary scenarios, a new image flashing with every step I take.

I snap back into reality when my face comes into contact with the wood chip covered floor. I quickly sit up, feeling around my body for injuries and taking in my surroundings. I am completely submerged in trees, the sun is slowly retreating from the sky but is still high enough to illuminate the forest surrounding me. I hear multiple forms of wild life around me but nothing life threatening. There are no paths or trails for me to follow and the sun is slowly retreating behind the high trees as the cold wind picks up. I hear multiple twigs snap and growling coming from behind me. I slowly turn around to come face to face with the cause of the creepy noise.

"Fuck"

**A/N: Haha, cliffhangers are evil, I know but oh well. Please review and I'll probably update faster**


	11. The Fam

**A/N: Herro. Sorry about the wait, don't have an excuse, just been lazy. This chapter's kind of a filler and I apologize in advance for the lack of Emaya. They will reunite soon enough.**

Destiny: Chapter 11

Caleb POV 

Toby and I have been walking around these woods for what feels like hours. We lost Emily a while ago. If I hadn't known her and saw her running the way she was, I would have thought she was being chased by a serial killer or she was late for an all you can eat rib fest or something else that has great importance. But nope, that's just how out Emily takes her evening strolls. Whatever happened between her and Samara must have been pretty intense to have caused Emily to manifest the power of Usain Bolt. Toby and I are pretty athletic ourselves and have pretty good eyes but considering we're up against a very determined Emily combined with all these branches and leaves blocking our view, I do not believe we're at fault. Whatever, whether it actually is our fault she's lost or not, in Ezra's eyes, we're always to blame.

"Maybe we should just head back, it's starting to get dark and for all we know she could've headed back to the bus already" Toby says looking absolutely defeated by our current predicament.

"I seriously doubt that, this is the only path way in here, she would have to pass us to get out, and dude, you and I both know Ezra will mount our ass's to the wall if we come back without her" I reply, shaking my head and laughing slightly as I imagine Ezra's 'angry face'.

"More of a reason to go back, I haven't seen that vain that pops out on his head when he gets angry in a while" Toby says shaking his head and smiling at the ground as he walks.

"Well that is a very valid point, I kinda miss tomato head Ezra" I comment and we both burst out into laughter, attempting to hold back the tears forming in our eyes.

"Yupp, those were the days" Toby says after the laughter subsided.

"Yaa, you know we really need to..." 

"AHH!"  
We both stop mid stride and begin looking around frantically for the source of the random scream.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here but I'm assuming that wasn't you" I say trying to decipher which direction the yell came from.

"Emily" Toby whispers, leaving the path and taking off into the trees.

The look in his eyes was a look of pure determination. That look is very rare; he only gets it when he feels the extreme need to help someone he really cares about. The last time I saw that look was when he was trying to convince Spencer to go to U-Penn and forget about their relationship to focus on her future. Toby had always been the _'over-protective, looking out for your best interest'_ type. I mean, I care about my friends too but he takes that to another level. He's like... _Father material_ and whatnot. I always kinda admired that attribute of his.

Suddenly a large growl is echoing through my ears and my legs come to a hasty halt.

"Holy shit" are the only words I can squeak out as I raise my head to come face to face with the beast before me.

"Um guys, since when are there bears in California, or am I just really late" Emily asks, from her spot on the floor behind us, just above a whisper as if any loud noises will send the wild animal off the edge.

I look at Toby and can see the scared look in his eyes as he and I stand face to face with a 6.5 foot tall grizzly bear that's standing on his hind legs.

Toby and I look at each other, almost reading each other's minds. We have spent so much time together in the past 2 years, we can practically speak telepathically. From what I'm getting from him and from what I'm sending, we both know absolutely nothing about warding off bears.

"I saw on a nature show once that you should make yourself like... big to scare off bears" Emily says, noticing that Toby and I had no ideas.

"Big?!" I question "That's really the best you got"

"Yaa... big" Emily says with a shrug, as if our lives did not depend on our next decision.

"Well, we're dead anyways so might as well" I say, rolling my eyes at the preposterous idea.

Toby and I stretch out our arms to their max capacity in a star like shape and stand on our tippy toes while unpleasant growls escape our lips in an attempt to ward off the beast.

'We are fricken idiots and pretty soon we're gonna be dead idiots' I think to myself as I hiss at the hairy skyscraper before me.

To all of our surprise, the animal starts to whimper, puts its front legs back in the floor and takes off in the other direction.

"Whoa, that actually worked" I say, the surprise extremely evident in my voice.

"Well that's one problem down, now onto the next. I don't suppose either of you remembers how to get out of here do you?" Toby rhetorically asks, knowing we are now lost in the woods, with bears and God knows what else, darkness threatening to consume us in a matter of minutes.

After 1 or 2 hours of aimless venturing through the vast wildlife, we finally found the pathway leading out of the forest. When we got out we went to the nearest store to ask for directions on how to get back to the parking lot where the tour bus is packed. We got the information and set out on our way.

"So you gonna tell us what provoked you to take this unnecessary excursion or are we gonna have to pry it out of you" I ask with a sarcastic smirk, looking down at Emily. She looks up, the moonlight barely illuminating her features, meeting my gaze with a small smile that I see right through.

"Let me guess, Maya?" Toby knowingly asks.

"I just needed some air" Emily says, barely above a whisper, looking down at her dragging feet, kicking pebbles as she walked.

"Do you usually venture through bear infested woods when you feel the excessive need for oxygen" I joke, earning a flick at the back of my neck from Toby.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Toby requests, sounding extremely sincere.

She nods slightly and proceeds to tell us about the conversation she had with Samara.

As her story comes to an end, Toby and I can't help but swap knowing glares, smirking slightly at our new found knowledge of the situation. She looks up at us, looking somewhat angry.

"Is there something funny about this?" she asks, crossing her arms and looking agitated by our behaviour.

"You" I answer, stating the obvious, earning another flick from Toby. I send an annoyed glare in his direction, rubbing the back of my neck and expand on my response. "What I mean is girls in general". At my words, she looks at me with a raised eyebrow, yearning me to go on. "You guys over analyze things way too much. So what if Maya couldn't come on tour with us, I've seen the way she looks at you Em, she loves you and you know it and if she couldn't come than there's obviously a logical explanation as to why so just trust her". I finish, watching her facial expression change as she processes what I just said.

"Well when you say it like that it sounds so easy" she mumbles.

"That's because it is that easy. We all know Sammy has a thing for you and she was just trying to mess with your head. Don't let her get you Em. You're with who you want to be with. Just be happy for that." Toby chimes in causing a smile to form on all of our lips.

"You know what, I think you guys are right. I guess I just looked to into the situation" Emily says looking extremely gratifying as we approach the tour bus. We embrace in a big group hug.

"What would I do without you guys" Emily says pulling away slightly to look at us.

"Crash and burn most likely. Probably get eaten by a bear" I joke, provoking a wave of giggles from our group.

"I'll see you guys in the morning. Thanks again for everything. Goodnight" Emily yawns out scurrying, towards the bus.

"Nighty night" we reply.

"Oh yaa, and Em" I call after her before she enters the bus, causing her to turn around. "We live in the 21st century, if you wanna know what's going on with Maya stop acting like a caveman and CALL HER!" I order, earning a nod and a grin from the girl as she enters the vehicle.

Toby and I turn and look at each other, reveling in the day's activities. "Women" we say in unisons before we too head inside the tour bus to have a well-deserved, long rest.

**AN: Sorry for the grammar mistakes. Writing & proof reading these at 3am on my small ass phone probably isn't the smartest idea. Please Review**


	12. Happy

**AN: Today I spent an hour sitting under the shade of a tree and staring at the sky because I didn't wanna do my math homework. Procrastination at its peak.**

Emily POV  
Ha. What has my life become. I always use to hate celebrities who complained about their lives. The ones who would start fights for seemingly no reason or do drugs for attention or act as if their problems were so much bigger than everyone else's. I never wanted to be famous. When I was a kid, the thought of becoming a huge actress or a singer hadn't even seemed like a possibility. The closest I even hoped to get to fame was being an Olympian but even that seemed so out of reach. But here I am. Emily Fields, lead singer of Global Rebellion. The girl who had ran into bear infested woods because her feelings got hurt. The girl who practically lived in her bed, constantly consumed by her thoughts and emotions. I think I think too much. About everything. About who I am. About who I'm trying to be. About who I'm trying not to be. About what others think of me. Everything. I even waste too much time thinking too much about how I think too much. This is not the life I dreamt of and the only way I'm going to get even a fraction of that dream life back is if I get her. I am not this Emily. I'm done with the moping. Whether I like or not I have to finish this tour so I can either sob my way through it or I can enjoy travelling around the world and playing America's biggest stadiums. I'm living the teenage dream and I think it's about time I start acting like it.

My thoughts are interrupted by a vibrating sensation coming from my pillow case. I stick my hand in it and pulled out my cellphone. I almost never use it anymore. Only a handful of people have my number but the only people I really need to talk to are always just a short walk across a bus away but Toby always keeps it charged for me just in case the rare occasion occurred that someone actually wanted to get in touch. I guess that moment is now.

I slide the answer icon across the screen and bring the device to my ear.

"Hello?"

Caleb POV  
I awake in the morning to the smell of fresh bacon & pancakes and a sizzling sound coming from outside my bunker. I immediately sit up confused by the strangely familiar sound, momentary forgetting I'm in a small rectangular cubicle and banging my head against the roof of my bunker. A loud grunt escapes my lips as I tiredly crawl out of bed, wearing only my boxers and making way towards the appealing sound. My trek is cut short as I bang into my bandmates who seem to be in a trance as they stand awkwardly in the middle of the corridor, looking straight ahead. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and blink a few times, adjusting to the bright sunlight and behold the image before me. It's Emily, in the kitchen, COOKING. I didn't even know the stove on the bus even worked, always thought it was more of a decorative thing. We all stand dumbfounded at the sight, unable to compose words. We live off of fast food restaurants and microwaveable meals. The only non-microwaveable thing we had in the freezer were toaster waffles. The closest thing we've had to a home cooked meal in the last year are ramen noodles, not even the one you make on a stove, the one in the Styrofoam cups that you just add hot water to. We never cook. We never have food to cook. We never even had pots and pans so where did this come from.

"So you guys gonna stare at me all day or you gonna get out some plates & forks" Emily's voice startles all of us as she speaks without even turning around. We make our way to the table as Samara grabs some plates and forks from the cabinets. Emily brings several plates with assorted foods on them and sets them in the middle of the table as she takes her rightful seat at the dining table.

We all just stare for moment at the buffet before us. Eventually all our plates are full and we are devouring the beautiful meal.

"So, not that I'm complaining or anything but why the sudden cooking fever?" I finally ask the question on everyone's mind.

"Just woke up early and felt like it" Emily shrugs and we all stare in disbelief.

"Where'd you get all this food anyways?"

"Earlier I asked the driver to stop at a Costco" she again shrugs. "Enough with the 20 questions, so since I cooked, you guys can clean" she retorts, shoving her last piece of bacon in her mouth and making her way to the television. "Oh yea, and Ezra said we'll be at our next stop in like an hour" she informs us before hopping on the couch, grabbing the PS4 controller.

We all exchange confused looks momentarily before clearing the table and taking care of the dishes.

_ExM  
_  
"50 to 4 seriously are you guys even trying"

For the past half hour Toby and I have been getting our ass's kicked by Emily in COD. We're just perplexed as to where the real Emily is and who created the clone that sits before me.

The round comes to an end and Emily begins to rejoice, celebrating her 4th win in a row.

"You guys suck, call me when you can actually consider yourselves as competition" she insults, making her way towards the back of the bus.

All eyes follow her with raised eyebrows as she strides.

Finally when she's out of earshot Samara is the 1st to speak.

"Okay, who drugged her last night"

No one replies, we all sit quietly, attempting to find a logical explanation for her attitude change.

Emily POV  
I lie in bed, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the call button as I stare at Maya's photo icon staring back at me. After my long, unexpected conversation with Hanna last night, I've found new confidence in myself. I haven't talked to her in a year yet she still has the ability to read me like a book. She helped me remember who I was and what I wanted in life.

_*Flashback*_

"Hello?"

"Holy shit you actually picked up, please don't hang up... You still there?"

"I'm here"

"OH MY GOSH, HOW ARE YOU!?" Hanna yells into the device, as I pull the device away from my ear and smile a little as I picture her facial expression.

"Nobody has heard from you in over a year Em, are you ok? How's the band? Are you happy?"

"Wow Han, one question at I time"

"Sorry" she apologies  
"So how's life, you sound kind of down?"

"Just... thinking"

"Yikes, that's never a good sign. Well tell Dr. Hanny all about it, I'm all ears"

I smile, knowing that even though I shut her out for an entire year, Hanna's still cares about me and my problems.

I fill her in on everything Maya related, giving her time to process that the girl was alive and only receiving quiet polite hmms and oh's as I speak. After the explanation she speaks.

"Well you've had quite an eventful week. Through all your wallowing and thinking did you ever think of calling her and asking her why she couldn't come with you?"

"Of course I have but as stupid as it sounds, what if I don't like the answer?"

"Em, seriously, she risked a lot just to reunite with you, her aunt and uncle love you and she coincidently had front row tickets to your concert. You really need to stop thinking of all the negative possibilities as to why she said no and look at the logical ones. If Maya still loves you now as much as she did when 'alive' than you have nothing to worry about. And seriously, the next time you need relationship advice, Samara should be the last girl you should go to, that girl is just as obsessed with you as Paige but at least she lacks the crazy psycho murderous bitch aspect".

"Thanks Han, I really needed that."

"Anytime bestie" she says and I can hear her smile through the phone "And one other thing, happy looks good on you, and I know I speak for everyone in your band when I say living with a moppy person can be a downer. So please, if not for me, for yourself, can you try to bring back the Em we all know and love"

"For you, I can at least try" I say truthfully  
"Now enough about my problems, how has the fashion industry been treating you"

*End of Flashback*

I finally find the strength to break the non-existent string pulling my finger away from the screen and press call button. After one ring I feel the bus come to a hasty halt.

"Alright we're here, start unloading the bus, sound check in 5" I here Ezra yell as he exits the bus.

I huff, hang up the still ringing phone and make my way into the stadium, ready to put on a fake smile but secretly wanting it to be over so I can get back to my phone.

**AN: Next chapter is the phone call and most likely Maya's secret comes out.**


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